Defiant Ahmadinejad sworn in as police break up protests

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term as Iranian President yesterday, vowing more defiance of the West at a ceremony boycotted by his rivals, as police in full riot gear broke up protests by opposition demonstrators.

The 52-year-old hardliner took the oath of office for another four years at a ceremony in Parliament after his landslide election victory in June that triggered the worst turmoil in the Islamic republic's history.

Mr Ahmadinejad pledged to resist "oppressive powers," dismissed the US stance towards Iran and said his re-election heralds "major change in Iran and the world."

But prominent opposition leaders were absent from the ceremony, and outside a force of about 1,000 riot police and Basij volunteer Islamic militiamen used pepper spray on demonstrators who claim his election was rigged, witnesses said.

Protesters chanted "Death to the Dictator" and anti-Ahmadinejad slogans, booing the security forces as police and Basij moved in to disperse them, a witness said, while several were reportedly arrested.

Late afternoon, hundreds of Iranian police and militiamen, some in riot gear, deployed in central Tehran to prevent any further protests, witnesses said.

Yesterday's ceremony was boycotted by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mr Ahmadinejad's main defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, who vowed that the opposition movement would go on despite a campaign of arrests.

Despite the international outcry over the election and its brutal aftermath, some foreign diplomats were present, including envoys from Britain, France and Sweden, which holds the EU presidency.

Britain's ambassador attended the inauguration because "hard-headed diplomacy" is required in dealings with the country, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Although ambassador Simon Gass was present at the ceremony, Britain did not send a message of congratulations to Mr Ahmadinejad, it added.

Mr Ahmadinejad has a two-week deadline to form a new government that is likely to remain on a collision course with the West, particularly over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

"We will resist oppressors and try to correct the global discriminatory mechanisms in order to benefit all the nations of the world," Mr Ahmadinejad said.

"The June 12 epic is the start of major change in Iran and in the world." He took aim at the United States after the White House acknowledged him as the "elected" President of Iran, but stopped short of declaring him the legitimate President and said it had no plans to congratulate him.

"This means they only want democracy which serves their interests and they don't respect people's votes and rights," Mr Ahmadinejad retorted. "Iranians will neither value your scowling and bullying, nor your smiles and greetings."

Hours after Mr Ahmadinejad's broadside, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid tribute to Iran's opposition movement.

"We appreciate and we admire the continuing resistance and ongoing efforts by the reformers to make the changes that the Iranian people deserve," Mrs Clinton told reporters in Kenya, where she kicked off a seven-nation Africa tour.

Mrs Clinton nevertheless said that Mr Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election would not alter Washington's readiness to engage Iran.

"Our policy remains the same. We take the reality that the person who was inaugurated today will be considered the president," she said. "We are still clear in our policy that engagement is on the table for the Iranians."